A lifelike lesson in child care

Penn students learn about effects of drugs/alcohol on unborn babies.

Penn students learn about effects of drugs/alcohol on unborn babies.

February 14, 2008|KIM KILBRIDE Tribune Staff Writer

Just as class was beginning, senior Veronica Tambala heard a noise coming from the closet. "It sounds like a fan," she said. Christy Obenour opened the door and removed a screaming "infant." "I haven't been able to calm this baby down," the teacher told her Child Development class at Penn High School on Friday morning. "Do you want to try?" she asked Veronica. As the doll was passed around for the students to attempt to "console," Obenour officially began the day's lesson. "What we have here," she said, "is a simulator that has been exposed to fetal drugs and alcohol. "While you're trying to calm the baby down, I'm going to give you some information about "Frank" and what he has to look forward to in the future." One in 10 infants is exposed to illegal drugs before they're born, Obenour said. She then told the students about the physical, emotional and social effects of drugs and alcohol on fetuses. Obenour received a nearly $1,000 grant from the P-H-M Educational Foundation to purchase "Frank," along with "Freda," an infant simulator that exhibits some of the physical effects of prenatal drug use, such as bowing of the legs. She also was able to get a third simulator, which will be used in a future lesson, that demonstrates the effects of shaking an infant. Meanwhile on Friday, Obenour invited sophomore Melanie Baird to speak briefly to her class. Her parents, she said, have taken in foster children over the years, including one whose mother used drugs when she was pregnant. "The baby would shake and cry all night long," Melanie said. As Melanie spoke, the infant simulator continued to be passed from student to student. "Now, I ask you, if you had little Frank day in and day out and you had a risky lifestyle, what would you want to do with Frank?" Obenour asked. "Shake him," one student replied. "Real (drug-affected) babies don't have switches," the teacher told the class. "So, they often suffer from abuse." At the end of the lesson, Obenour asked the students if they had any questions. There was just one comment. "It's sad," one student said. The teacher agreed, adding "This baby didn't ask for any of this." During a break, Obenour said she condensed several lessons down to present in the session. "This is my one preaching day," she said.Staff writer Kim Kilbride: kkilbride@sbtinfo.com (574) 235-6554